Buttonhole-sewing machine.



BEST AVAILABLE COP:

F. ZALESKI.

BUTTONHOLE SEWING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT.29. [914.

1,152,465. v PatentedSept. 7, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

BEST AVAILABLE COP;

F. ZALESKI.

BUTTONHOLE SEWING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT.29. I914.

1,152,465. Pa tentedSept. 7, I915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

W HIIIIIW% coLuMqlA PLANOGRAPH CO..WASMINGTDN, u c.

WELABLE COP F. ZALESKI.

BUTTONHOLE SEWING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 29, 1914.

1,152,465. Patented Sept. 7, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

AVAELABLE CQP.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK ZALESKI, F SOMERVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIG-NOR TO THE REECE BUTTON HOLE MACHINE COMPANY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A COR- PORATION OF MAINE.

BUTTONHOLE-SEWING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 7, 1915.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK ZALESKI, a subject of the'Emperor of Germany, residing at Somerville, county of Middlesex, State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Buttonhole-Sewing Machines, of which the following description, in con nection with the accompanying drawing, is a specification, like characters on the drawing representing like parts.

This invention relates to buttonhole-sewing machines of that type which comprlse an upper thread mechanism and an under thread mechanism that cooperate to produce the edge stitches on a buttonhole, and the object of the invention is to provide means for clamping and holding the under thread after said thread has been severed upon the completion of the buttonhole.

In buttonhole sewing machines that are not provided with my improvements it 1s necessary for the operator upon completing the buttonhole to draw out a length of both the upper and the under thread and then to hold the ends of both threads in his fingers while starting the fresh buttonhole in order that the first stitches of the buttona hole may be properly formed. Vith my imshown it as it would be applied to a buttonhole sewing machine of the type commonly known to the trade as the Reece machine, such a machine being illustrated in any one of the following United States Letters Patent: No. 494,280, March 28, 1893; No.

498,216, May 23, 1893; No. 655,637, August Sewing machines of the above type comprise a clamp frame in which the work is clamped and a so-called stitch frame carrying an upper thread mechanism (usually in the form of a straight eye-pointed needle) for manipulating the upper thread, and an under thread mechanism (or as it is sometimes called a complemental stitch-forming mechanism) for manipulating the under thread, said under thread mechanism including a curved eye-pointed needle carrying the under thread and which operates through a throat-plate and cooperates with the upper needle to concatenate the edge stitches of a buttonhole. In sewing machines of this type the stitch frame and the clamp frame are mounted for movement relative to each other, and means are provided whereby when the machine is first started the stitch frame and clamp frame have first a relative movement by which the work clamped in the clamp frame is brought into proper position to have the buttonhole stitched by the upper and under thread mechanisms, and then the stitch-forming mechanism is set in operation and said stitch frame and clamp frame have another relative movement to cause said stitch-forming mechanism to stitch around the edge of the buttonhole, after which the stitch-forming mechanism ceases to operate and said two frames have another relative movement to return the parts to their initial position.

My improvements comprise means associated with the under thread mechanism for clamping the under thread at the completion of the buttonhole, and for holding said thread clamped until the stitching mechanism has been started to form stitches on the next succeeding buttonhole, at which time the end of the under thread is released, and also comprise means associated with the upper thread mechanism to draw out from said upper thread mechanism a suificient length of upper thread at the completion of the buttonhole to provide for the formation of the first stitches of the second buttonhole.

In order to give an understanding of the invention I have illustrated in the drawings a selected embodiment thereof which will now be described, after which the novel features of the invention will be pointed out in the appended claims.

Figure 1 is a side view of a portion of a so-called Reece buttonhole machine having my improvements applied thereto; Fig. 2 is a plan view of a portion of the machine with part of the stitch frame and clamp frame broken out; Figs. 3, 4 and 5 are diano thread clamp open; Fig. 10 is a snnnar View showing the thread clam losed and clamping the under thread i c i i Q 11 is a section on the line ll ll, Fig. 9;

is a side View ot' liig. 9 looking to- Wart the le The drawings show the sewing machine with the parts in the position they assume when the mac line has been brought to rest at the time that a but licle has been completed. A. complete s machine i, not herein illustrated, out only the parts there of which necessary to illustrate my in vention.

1 indicates the base frame of the nachine on Which is i l 3 i nounted the cl am l, a i 3 of the clamp frame, said clam frame also including the clan'ipiig member a: which is normally so; cm the clamp plates but is adaped to be moved down against them to clamp e Work in position t'or the th l stitching opertion. The clamp frame is shown as pr yided with an elongated op ing 6 through which the stitching inec nism operates to form the edge stitches to the buttonhole.

5 indicates a part of the so-called stitch frame which carries the upper and under thread mechanism. The upper thread niecl anism is in the form ot a straight cycpointed needle 7 carried by the usual needle bar 8 which in addition to its reciprocating movement is given a rotary movement b i the gears 9 as the 'itches are formed around the ends of the buttonhole, as usual in sewing machines of this type. T he stitch frame i also carries an under thread mchanism sh Wn generally at 10 and which h.s as part thereof a throat plate 11 provided with an opening 12 and an under thread needle 13 which ope rates through the open-- ing 12, said needle usually being CUL'YGf, as shown in Fig. 12. This under thread mechanism is also rotatably mounted in the stitch frame so that it 1K tates about its axis perpendicular to the Work in rounding the ends of the buttonholes, as usual in swing inachines of this type. The stitch frame and the clamp frame have a movement relative to each other in the formation of the buttonhole, and during such movement the imder and upper thr ad mechanisms have a rota y movement aoout their axes to provide l'or stitching around the ends oi? the buttonhole. 'lhese relative movements are illustrated diagrammatically in 3, l and wherein the circles represent the position of the throat-plate, and the elongated outlin ll shows the position of the bu ttonhole to stitched, this nttonhole being situted directly over the open ng '1? in the clamp rams, it bein understood that the u ,lfii vr in which t 1e biiittonholo is formed nriniy held in position by the work clan- 4 r arrows in th circle of the diag f the relative p sitions of the the th at-plate, and thus illus tnozt-pla'lc turns as it i men;. The posit when the machine 't stitch. frame and oh. up i novement to bring nearer to the opening ii id then to carry the thr r longitudinally 7 no various dotted in e posi be full line position marl et his relative movement "ih nechanism and tl1l'0-.t-)l 0 he various positions indici t Z), 0, cl, 0, 7", g. YJhen brought into the positii. outline h, Figs. 3 and i, th tion begins, and then the a lateral nu'n'ement and at t saz' upper and under thread inechau about their axes, thus carrying plate through the successive 13);?- ca ed by 72/, 6, 7} 75, hen, n, 0, outtonhole being completed uhe re ch the position 7). During th" sti ch-forming mechanism has been carria completely around the buttonholc.

h by the ii hci the parts reach the position of the circle in Figs. i: and 5, the stitching ceases, am; the after the stitch frame and clar have another relative movement to: parts to their original pos'tion indicate the circle 8, Fig. 5, the throat-plate l carried through the successire position; 1

at this time. Inasmuch this type a.

GWlL machine is well known, further (le criptlon of the operation is not no aly. The mechanism herein shown has incorporated therein a thr ad-cuttir" shown as a cutting blade 15 openeath the clamp plate and cooperatii with the cutting block 16 carried by the clam t ame, all as shown in my co-pending a; plication, Se. No. 842,278, filed June 1, 191:5. f; This tiread-cutting blade is mounted on a lever 17 pivoted at 18 to the clamp plate 2, and it is actuated during the movement or the parts from the posi-aon to the position s, Fig. 5, at the completion oi the buttonhole by mechanism similar to that illustrated in said co-pending applicatii'm, ano which comprises a finger 19 carried by the under thread mechanism and a danted to engage an actuator :20 that is pi'votally connected at 21 to an arm 22 pivoted at 23 to the clamp frame 2 and connected by the spring 24 with the lever 17. The parts are so arranged that during the final relative movement of the clamp frame and stitch frame the finger 19 engages the actuator 20, as shown in full lines Fig. 7, thereby swinging the lever 17 to bring the blade 15 against the cutting block 16 and thereby cutting the under thread 99 and the loop of upper thread that is held by the looper.

One feature of my present invention relates to means for clamping the under thread just prior to its being severed, as above described, which clamping means holds the severed end of the under thread firmly until after the stitching mechanism is set in operation to form the next succeeding buttonhole, at which time the clamp ing mechanism is actuated to release the end of the thread. This clamping mechanism is shown as associated with the throat-plate and comprises a rotary clamping ring 25 mounted on the throat-plate for turning movement and provided with a clamping shoulder 26 which cooperates with a clamping shoulder 27 formed on the throat-plate. This clamping ring 25 is illustrated as provided with a notch or recess 28 through which the under thread normally passes, and one wall 26 of which constitutes the thread-clamping edge. This clamping ring 25 may be mounted on the throat-plate in various ways without departing from the invention. As herein shown, it is supported on the body portion of the throat-plate and is held in position thereon by the top portion 29 which partially overlies the clamping ring 25. During the stitching operation the clamping ring has the position shown in Fig. 9 and the under thread can pass freely through the opening 28 therein. After the stitching operation is completed and during the relative movement of the stitch frame and clamp frame to bring the throat-plate from the position shown at p, Fig. 5, to that shown at s, the clamping member 25 is turned into the position shown in Fig. 10 thereby to clamp the under thread between the shoulders 27 and 26, and just after this occurs the cutting blade 15 is actuated to sever the under thread. The under thread remains thus clamped until the stitching operation of the next buttonhole is commenced, that is, until the throat-plate has moved from the position a, Fig. 3, to that shown at 71., Figs. 3 and 1, and during the movement of the throat-plate from the position it to the position i Fig. 4 (that is, just after the stitching operation has begun) the clamping member 25 is moved back into the position shown in Fig. 9, thereby to re lease the under thread. To accomplish these two movements of the clamping member 25 the latter is provided with two projections 30 and 31 and the clamp frame is also provided with two projections 32, 33 which are situated to engage the projections 30 and 31 at the proper time during the relative move ments of the clamp frame and stitch frame. The projection 32 cooperates with the pro jection 30 to clamp the thread, and the pro jection 31 cooperates with the projection 33 to unclamp the thread. During the movement of the throat-plate from the position shown at r to s, Fig. 5, that is, just before the parts come to rest upon the completion of a buttonhole, the projection 30 on the clamping member meets a projection 32 on the clamp plate, thereby turning the clamping member from the position shown in Fig. 9 to that shown in Fig. 10, and

clamping the thread. The clamping member will remain in this position until the machine is started again and the throatplate has been carried into the position shown at h, Fig. 4, and while it is moving from position it to position 2', Fig. 4, the projection 31 meets the projection 33 and thereby turns the clamping member back again to the position shown in Fig. 9.

The projection 33 is preferably yieldingly mounted and the projection 31 is provided with a curved rear face, the purpose of this being so that when the throat-plate is moving from the position f to the position h, Fig. 3, the projection 31 will wipe by the projection 33, the latter yielding backwardly about its pivot 34. lVhen the throatplate, however, is moving from the position it to the position i, the projection 33 will operatively engage the projection 31 to unclamp the under thread. I have shown the projection 33 as acted on by a spring 35 which normally holds it in operative position but permits it to yield.

I have herein shown a device for drawing out a suitable length of upper thread upon the completion of the stitching operation so that when the machine is started up again to stitch a fresh buttonhole it will not be necessary for the operator to perform such operation. The means illustrated for this purpose are as follows: Mounted on the stitch frame 5 is a bracket 38 upon which is pivotally mounted a forked member 39 over the arms of which the upper thread 36 passes. This forked member 39 is mounted on a shaft 40 pivoted in the bracket 38, and the shaft has fast thereto an arm 11 which is connected by a link 12 with an arm 13 fast on a rock-shaft 14 mounted in bearings 45 carried by the stitch. frame. This rock-shaft 1 1 has also fast therewith another arm 16, the lower end of which is bent laterally, as at 17, and is held in a groove formed in a block 18 fast on the frame 1. Vith this construction the forward and backward movement of the stitch frame 5 will swing the forked member 39 from the full to the dotted line position Fig. 1. The dotted line position represents the position of the stitch frame while the stitching operation is being performed and during this time the forked member 39 is not acting on the upper thread 36 as it is occupying the dotted line position Fig. l. li hen the stitch frame moves forward into the full line position 1, then the member 39 is turned so as to act on the thread 36, as shown in hi 1, to place some slack therein. During this operation the tension 8'? is released antomatically so that this movement of the member 3 draws thread from the thread supply. The releasing of the tension is accomplished by the usual tension-releasing member 50 mounted in bearings 51 in a bracket secured to the stitch frame and adapted at its lower end to engage the block 53 secured to the frame 1 and having the two surfaces 51- and 55 at different elevations and connected by the inclined surface r-fhen the parts move from the dotted to the f ll line position Fig. 1, the inclined surface 55 raises the member 50, as will be obvious. The upper end of the member 50 is connected to a lever or arm 5'? pivoted to the stitch frame at 58 and having rigid therewith an arm or finger 59- which engages the stem 60 of the tension 37, so that the swinging movement of the member 57 due to the raising of the member 50 releases the tension on the thread.

The w rl: clamp is provided with a crossbar 61 over which the thread 36 passes, as shown in Figs. 1 and 6, and when the parts move from the dotted to the full line position Fig. l at the completion of the stitching operation, the engagement of this bar (31 with the thread draws backwardl); on the latter, and this eoiiperatiug with the action of the nember draws off from the thread supply, and through the tension 37, a sufficient length of upper thread so that when tie stitching operation begins again there will be enough thread projecting beyond the needle 7 to provide for properly making the first stitch. of the new buttonhole without the necessity of the operator holding the end of the upper thread.

The operation of the bar 61 results in drawing the upper thread through the eye the needle, as is clearly evident from 1. i i hen, therefore, the upper thread is severed and the needle makes its first penetrating movement in the formation of the first stitch of the next succeeding buttonhole, there will be a suliicient length of thread projecting through the eye of the needle so that when the needle has made its full downward thrust the end of the thread will still be heid in the work e0. The friction of the cloth or work on the end of the upper thread is suilicient to hold it while the first stitches are being formed so that the movement to effect the stitching aroinid the i:ndertlnread-gru3- end of a buttonhole, of ping mechanism mou' to turn 1' th the under thread mechanism, and Italians to operate said gripping mechanism first to grip the under thread upon tl e completion of a buttonhole and then to release the under thread after the commencement of the stitching operation. on the next buttonhole.

2. In a buttonhole sewing ma :hine the combination with a clamp frame, of a ti'ch frame having upper and under thread meehanism which are mounted thereon for turning movement to effect the stitching around the end of a buttonhole, said frame, being capable of movement relative to each other, and means mounted to turn with he under tlll'QiHl inecianism and rendered operative by such relative movement upon the completion o a l'nittonhole to grip the under thread and subse uently to releae the under thread after the commencen'ient of the stitching operation on the next buttonhole.

3. in a buttonhole se'wng machine, the combination with a clamp 11 I ame, of a. stitch frame having upper and under taread mech anism, said frames being capable of moverent relative to each other, a thread-clamping member n'ovided with two projections, and means *arried by the clamp frame for engaging said projections successively at the completion of a buttenhole and at the commenccment of the stitching operations on the next buttonhole thereby to clamp and then unclamp the under thread.

t. in a buttonhole sewing machine, the combination with a clamp frame, of a stitch frame lniving upper and under thread mechanism, said frames being capable of movement relative to each other, a thread-clamping member mounted for turuin movement on the under thread mechanism and provided with projections, and means carried by the clamp frame for engaging said projections alternately thereby to clamp the under thread at the end of ti stitching oporation on a buttonhole and to nncl amp said thread at the beginning of the stitching op eration on the next buttonhole.

5. In a buttonhole sewing machine, the combination with an under thread mechanism mounted for turning movement to effect the stitching around the end of a but tonhole, of an under thread-gripping member supported to turn wit 1 said under thread mechanism, and means to cause said grip ping member to grip the under thread upon the completion of a buttonhole.

6. In a buttonhole sewing machine, the combination with. a rotative under thread mechanism having a throat-plate, of an under thread-gripping member mounted on said throat plate, and means to operate said gripping member to grip the under thread upon the completion of a buttonhole.

7. In a buttonhole sewing machine, the combination with work-holding means, of an under thread mechanism capable of turning movement about an axis perpendicular to the Work and having a throat-plate provided with a gripping edge, of a thread-gripping member carried by said throat-plate and having a cooperating thread-gripping edge, and means to operate said gripping member to grip the under thread upon completion of the buttonhole.

8. In a buttonhole sewing machine, the combination with work-holding means, of an under thread mechanism capable of turning about an axis perpendicular to the work and provided with a throat-plate having a thread-clamping edge, of a clamping mem ber rotatable on said throat-plate and provided with a cooperating clamping edge, means to actuate said clamping member to clamp the under thread between said edges upon the completion of a buttonhole.

9. In a buttonhole sewing machine, the combination with a stitch frame having upper and under thread mechanism capable of turning movement to effect the stitching around the end of a buttonhole, of a clamp frame having provision for clamping the work, said frames being capable of movement relative to each other, a device for gripping the under thread, said device being carried by the under thread mechanism, and means on the clamp frame cooperating with said gripping means to render the latter operative during the relative movement of the stitch frame and clamp frame.

10. In a buttonhole sewing machine, the combination with a clamp frame having work-clamping means, of a stitch frame carrying upper thread mechanism and under thread mechanism, said under thread mechanism being supported for turning movement about an axis perpendicular to the work, said frames having a movement relative to each other, and means carried by the under thread mechanism and rendered operative by such relative movement to clamp the under thread upon the completion of a buttonhole.

11. In a buttonhole sewing machine, the combination with a clamp frame having wort-clamping means, of a stitch frame having upper thread mechanism and under thread mechanism capable of turning about an axis perpendicular to the work, said frames having a movement relative to each other, and a thread-clamping member carried by the under thread mechanism and rendered operative by the relative movement of said frames to clamp the under thread upon the completion of a buttonhole and to release the clamp thread after the commencement of the stitching operation on the next buttonhole.

12. In a buttonhole sewing machine, the combination with a clamp frame having work-clamping means, of a stitch frame having upper thread. mechanism and an under thread mechanism supported to be turned about an axis perpendicular to the work, said under thread mechanism including a throat-plate, an under-thread-clamping member mounted on said throat-plate, and means to actuate said clamping memher by the relative movement of the frames to clamp the under thread at the end of the stitching operation.

18. In a buttonhole sewing machine, the combination with a clamp frame having work-clamping means, of a stitch frame having upper thread mechanism and an under thread mechanism supported to be turned about an axis perpendicular to the work, said under thread mechanism includ ing a throat-plate, an under-thread-clamping member mounted on said throat-plate, and means to actuate said clamping member by the relative movement of the frames to clamp the under thread at the end of the stitching operation and to release said thread at the beginning of the stitching operation on the next buttonhole.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FRANK ZALESKI.

Witnesses:

LOUIS C. SMITH, GEORGE G. HILL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

